Vossen always enjoys our trips to California as we were Platinum Sponsor at Bimmerfest 2014 once again. After the show we spent some one on one time with this new 2014 BMW 4 series M-sport coupe. The new body style oozes sexiness and our 20x9 and 20x10.5 staggered CV5 gives the 4 series the aggressive stance it needs. The style of the matte graphite machined CV5 also works perfectly to show off the M-sport Performance Brakes. California Love!

And yet they don’t do so with any kind of enthusiasm – it really sounds like more of a chore from the XCar reviewer’s side. He competently points out all that there is to like about the BMW M4, including the looks, interior, the power, the efficiency and badge, yet the words don’t seem to be fueled by passion or enthusiasm.

This car may have stopped evoking those feelings through its much duller-sounding engine than the old V8…

The M4 is a technical achievement that’s highly commendable, but according to this review (and others), it suffers from some of the foibles that plague all modern cars, particularly the feeling of having been overly-sanitized to be very appealing to a wide array of buyers and also comply with ever-more-stringent regulations.

You want to like the M4, and you easily can, yet you can much more easily love the old E90/E92 M3, a more-style analog machine that, in 10 years' time, we’ll be looking back at for answers, asking where it all went wrong.

Strong acceleration, followed by heavy tire squeal was what witnesses say they heard just before this brand new BMW M4, finished in white, was driven head-on into a tree, taking its shape and wedging itself in-between it and another…

It happened in the southern part of Munich, and by the looks of it, the Bimmer was for all intents and purposes totaled.

It’s not really that hard to gauge what happened here: the 20-year-old driver ran out of talent and experience at the exact moment the road went one way which he was unable to follow… Luckily, nobody was seriously injured and we got to see just how well one of these new M4s performs in a head-on crash situation with a solid, stationary object – it does pretty well.

The moral here is simple: don’t, if you’re not sure you can handle it, drive a fast sports car quickly on the road, let alone in a crowded urban center like Munich. The driver here was lucky there were no people standing between him and the trees…

Company cites production issues and low demand

BMW M GmbH's Jörg Bartels has revealed the company has decided against building an M4 Gran Coupe.

Speaking at the Australian launch of the M3 sedan and M4 coupe, Bartels told Carsguide "It was definitely considered, but there is no plan to build an M4 Gran Coupe.”

While an M4 Gran Coupe seemed like a given, Bartels said the company didn't expect the model would be a big seller. He went on to say the "4-Series Gran Coupe is built in a different factory to both the 3 Series (sedan) and 4 Series (coupe), so there is a lot of challenges there.”

The news is unfortunate but buyers can still opt for the M3 which features a 3.0-liter TwinPower Turbo six-cylinder engine that develops 431 PS (317 kW) and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) of torque.

What would you say if BMW invited you to take a 1,000-mile (1,609-kilometer) trip in the M4 Coupe? Well, nobody in their right mind would say no to that, and neither did Auto Express’ Mat Watson.

First of all, we have another confirmation that the sound of the M4’s turbocharged straight-six engine is not as exciting as the previous model’s naturally-aspirated V8, with Watson describing it as too artificial. However, what it lacks in sound thrills, the M4 Coupe makes up in terms of performance.

The M4’s twin-turbocharged, 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine produces 425 hp (431PS) and 550 Nm (406 lb-ft) of torque, allowing the car to be half a second quicker to 100 km/h (62 mph) than the M3 Coupe.

But the M4 is a lot more than just a 4-Series with a high-performance engine. As Mat Watson drove the car for 1,000 miles, he had enough time to discover many of the M4’s qualities and shortcomings, so scroll down to watch his comprehensive review.

The more time passes from the launch of BMW's 4-Series Gran Coupe, the more we get used to the idea. At first, it may have seemed like nonsense, but now that these cars are actually on the road and being driven, they are starting to click in people’s minds.

AutoTrader got one of these cars for a test drive, and since it’s not among the first to do so, it’s had time to carefully gauge its conclusions. Basically, the 4 GC is the car you want if you fancy neither the 3-Series nor the 4-Series Coupe and you couldn’t possibly live with the look of the 3 GT.

It’s a… fourth way in the lineup, and its only negatives compared to the regular sedan are the slightly more cumbersome access derived from the generally lower stance of the car and its inherently lower seating positions, and the slightly awkward rear access, hindered by insufficiently wide doors.

It’s also a hatchback, so while it’s boot may not be huge, its aperture is and it’s actually not as impractical as you may think, for a car designed primarily to be rakish and stylish…

As they say, different strokes for different folks; if BMW itself can't please your visual senses to the max when it comes to alloy wheel choices for the M4, then it's time to turn to the aftermarket industry.

Vista, California-based tuner Tag Motorsports took possession of a new BMW M4 Coupe and went to work lightly upgrading the performance model, beginning with the wheels.

Pictured here are two different set of rims, the 20-inch VS53 Concave alloys from MORR in a golden hue, and HRE's FlowForm wheels in a silky black shade, which are offered in 19- and 20-inch sizes in a variety of different colors.

Tag Motorsports says that the M4 also sport ceramic coated black exhaust tips, painted calipers and interior trim, and H&R performance springs.

We already knew that, if not all, most BMW M Performance parts for the 4-Series Coupe should be compatible with the Convertible, but we hadn't seen any pictures of the drop top until today.

BMW's gallery also includes a couple of shots of the M Performance-equipped Coupe for good measure.

The pictured 4-Series Convertible with M Sport Package has the M Performance carbon exterior mirror caps, accent side stripes, black kidney grilles, 20" wheels and a full suite of interior mods such as the track steering wheel clad in Alcantara with a race display, aluminum pedals and numerous carbon fiber trims.

Other available options include powertrain upgrades and a sports muffler. BMW hasn't said if the sports suspension and the exterior carbon fiber spoiler kit is ready for the Convertible.